The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-05-13


ing, opening your eyes for the first time
with full powers of observation, into this
Unreasonable expanse flaming with light,
throbbing with life, and then you will find
nothing more wonderful, nothing more in
credible in the idea of a life hereafter than
in the life that now is. That the change
which we name death should be an avenue
leading into another dwelling place would
seem no more strange than the familiar
changes of this present life.
Indeed that life should continue after
death tasks the mind less than the fact
that life is now. We cannot doubt our
present existence. 1t is out of orr power.
But were it possible to doubt it, there
would be some who would deny it altogeth-
er, for the same reason that they deny fil-
ture life, on account of its incredibility.
To fresh eyes all life is a mystery. Never
could we have imagined it beforehand.
How then, can we imagine what it is yet to
be? As well might the child before it
sees the light form an idea of the new
mode of existence into which it is to enter
at birth.
We should be greatly aided in arriving
at cheering conclusions, could we only dis
charge our minds of certain false assump-
ton which is very common. Death is con-
tinually conceived Of. unconsciously It
would seem, as if it were only another
name for entire extinction. Thus is as
sumed the very point in question. Death
is the extinction of all visible signs of life
But that it touches life itself, that it de-
stroys that force of which tine various act
ivities of the body, the movements of the
blood and the lungs and the heart are the
manifestations, how death affects this
hidden thing, we do not know. What life
is no naturalist processes to know. How
then, can it be asserted that it ceases to eX-
list at death? All that can be said is that
it is no longer cognizable by MS. 1t does
not follow that it ceases to be because we
canno; perceive it, nnless we maintain, as
who will, that nothing exists beyond the
range Ot our peiceptlpilS.
We must first of all acknowledge that
death is an event of which very little is
known. We might get some insight to this
secret, were we duly impressed with a
sense of our ignorance. Could we only
take the position which | have suggested
of an intelligent being suddenly introduced
into life with all his faculties of observa-
ton and thought, uncommitted to any
creed, looking at everything with free,
fearless eyes. TO such an observer, Death,
instead of being an evil for which there is
no compensation, might appea sns simple
change, analogous to the countless changes
forever going on throughout all nature 1t
might look not a whit more inexplicable
than birth, growth and sleep, conditions of
existence, which. being familiar, awaken
no wonder Were we now to witness them
for the first time, they would seem to be
Just rs irreconcilablc with a continued con-
scious existence as death is thought to be.
The changes we pass through before we
die, the changes which the lower animals
undergo they not all hint, at least. at
this view Of death?
Listen, friends, to one ofthe s'Parables, >
which nature is everywhere repeating, a
parable taught by a fact in insect life,
The Larvae, or grub Of the dragon fly lives
wholly on the bottom of ponds and pools,
whereas the dragon fly. into which it is
changed, lives in the upper air. Some
species are very beautiful, showing colors
of a metallic brilliancy. At certain
stage, the grub, rising in the water, creeps
mp the stem of some water-plant, and is
transformed into winged creature. The
parable runs substantially thus:
''In certain beautiful pond there dwelt
large numbers of the grub of the dragon
fly. They became aware that one after
another of their company were disappear
ing, never to return. They wondered
where those went who quilted the world.
They had no idea of any world of life but
their little native pond. That was the
world to them. As their wonder grew,
one of them, feeling the mysterious change
approaching, impelling him to ascend to
the surface of the water, promised to come
back and tell what happened to him after
his disappearance. But the promise was
not kept Then another went, and before
he went he made the same promise. Our
brother has never returned, but dear
friends, | feel that | am going to him,
wherever that may be, either to a new life,
or to that death from which there is no re-
turn. I renew the solemn promise, should
the great hope be true, VIC will come back
and tell you so: farewell And then he
rose up through the water; on reaching
the brink of the pond, he seized on a plant
of the forget-me-not, and clinging to its
stalk, clambered out of the water into the
air. The others watched him, but after
that they saw him no more and they sank
down sad and uneasy to their home below.
As before, hours passed on and nothing
more was seen of the departed only the
broken shell fell back and crumbled away.
lie is faithless, said one; he forgets us
like his brother, said others. Only few
murmered, we will not despair And
after awhile others went up in succession;
for the time came to all when the lustrous
eyes of the perfect creature shone through